1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to drip irrigation and more particularly to a low-flow emitter capable of providing a consistent feel to a user's hand while being operated by the hand.
2. Description of Related Art
In low-flow irrigation, sometimes known as micro-irrigation, water is delivered to the irrigation area at low and uniform flow rate, thereby conserving water.
For adjustable low-flow emitter, a means of retaining flow rate setting is often desirable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,161, entitled “adjustable miniature watering device”, for example, discloses a watering device including a rotatable cap and a body. The rotatable cap has a flexible rib while the body has a grooved inner surface with annularly arranged grooves. The flexible rib of the rotatable cap has substantially the same axial length as the grooves of the body and is engageable in any of the grooves. When the rotatable cap is rotated to adjust the amount of water delivered by the watering device, the area of contact between the flexible rib of the rotatable cap and the grooved inner surface of the body changes with the axial displacement of the rotatable cap with respect to the body. The change in the area of contact not only produces a different feel to the operator's hand with which the rotatable cap is being operated (e.g., the tightness between the rotatable cap and the body is changed), but also alters the amplitude of the sound generated between the flexible rib of the rotatable cap and the grooved inner surface of the body.
In the interest of user friendliness, a low-flow emitter having a consistent operating means is desired.